The rally in Columbus, Ohio continued into the next day, as tens of thousands of Buckeyes showed up to help welcome some of their native sons home. The AROB group had its hands full trying to maintain some semblance of order as revelers wanted to congratulate the soldiers and wish them well. Unlike Vietnam vets who were shunned by society, soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Iran were viewed as victims of their own government - a government that had deliberately conspired to put them in harm's way for no justifiable reason. Ever since the Bush administration's "dike" of misinformation began to leak, the public had been disillusioned with the 'war', but supportive of the troops. It wasn't these soldiers who created such a horrible consequence; they were simply following orders as they had been trained to do. The blame for such an immoral, unjust 'war' lay squarely with the Bush administration and the war profiteers who greedily helped themselves to taxpayers' dollars and rejected any moral accountability for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of fellow human beings.
Now, the celebration mushroomed into a full-fledged city-wide party.
The midwest, of course, hadn't suffered any devastation from the east coast hurricanes and west coast earthquake. But, those people who lived in America's 'heartland' still lived among the ruins of factories, banks, corporate headquarter buildings, and government facilities that had been destroyed by O.U.T.R.A.G.E. bombs. Those who lived in the so-called "corn belt" were also experiencing the effects of the 'Great Depression II' as the nation's economy wilted, jobs became scarce, and millions of Americans saw their savings and investments washed away.
This first stop on Adams' "victory tour" served as a release for citizens who had weathered almost a year of misfortune. Adams explicitly planned to visit cities that previous "tours" hadn't been. Still, she wanted to orchestrate the tour to coincide with soldiers' homecomings. This time she brought along an entourage of live musical groups that had played at her various clubs. As "Shilo" and "Chris & Paul" entertained on makeshift stages (usually erected by local veterans' organizations), other civic groups served food and beverages. The governor of Ohio led a myriad of speeches by dignitaries, all with the same theme: "Welcome home, soldiers...you served under illicit circumstances, and you did your damnedest! We're proud of you!".
Now these brave young men and women would be put to work serving their country under more pragmatic circumstances, rebuilding towns and cities, cleaning up tons of debris that still remained around the country, and restoring infrastructures and public facilities. Many communities were still - ten months later - without water or basic municipal services. As winter approached, it was important that these elements be available, and young American soldiers were coming home to help.
In the crowd, Adams recognized a familiar face: it was the military commander who had accompanied her entourage on a trip to Texarkana, Texas months before...the same commander that had hooked up with Jil's friend, Lynn. Lynn and the commander managed to entangle themselves in a small compartment aboard a military cargo plane. Jil chuckled as the commander recognized her; Lynn was 'sleeping off' another long night of partying, and Jil was reluctant to wake her up, even though she thought it was be 'appropriate'. Thinking she'd wait until Lynn sobered up, Jil beckoned the commander to join her for a late-morning bloody Mary, and recommended that he "stick around" for a "special surprise" later on in the day. It was a cloudy Wednesday in Columbus, but this new occuence brightened Jil's day none-the-less. "Heh, heh, heh," Jil thought to herself, "won't Lynn be surprised?"